


Three of Hearts

by LoTheJaexaln



Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Takes place after the Final Battle, also i have a myriad of headcanons and builder backstory that may or may not appear in this, i don't know how far i'll take this story, some of the plot references may be a little wonky lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:01:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25213582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoTheJaexaln/pseuds/LoTheJaexaln
Summary: Aadit was gone. Lorelei didn't know what to do with herself. But a certain engineer might remind her what she enjoys most. And maybe...a certain Civil Corps captain might give her something new to enjoy.
Relationships: Aadit/Builder (My Time At Portia), Builder/Mint (My Time At Portia)
Kudos: 17





	1. Aadit's Present

Albert felt a little guilty on his walk to the builder's workshop after yesterday. The battle they must've had at the ruins with the Sky Sharks, and then the battle with the Rogue Knight, Lorelei was probably exhausted. She had been at the front of the lines since the whole All Source AI excitement came about. And she was a terrific combatant; he wondered, as he approached the gate, where she had learned to fight. Everything about her was a mystery to him, a mystery he couldn't help but be a little attracted to.  


Ah but, he reminded himself, she's married. To Aadit, the lucky lad.  


For a brief moment, Albert considered just writing a note and leaving it in the mailbox, for it was almost 7:30 and Lorelei wasn't out in her yard as usual. But then, slow and somewhat shell-shocked-looking, she emerged from the big house that Gust had designed for her. She nodded at Albert, limping towards the gate.  


Her calf had a long scrape down the inside. And her lip was cut on the right corner, just under the old scar on her cheek. And the left side of her face was bruised. And Albert was sure there had to be more, small injuries about her body. She'd fought hard, been toe-to-toe with the Rogue Knight.  


"Hey, Lorelei, I hate to bother you after everything that happened yesterday, but—"  


"What do you need?" Lorelei's voice was unusually soft, tired. The pep, the quip, the determination was gone from her. Albert hesitated; if she was this exhausted, should he really ask for her help? Yes, he decided. Portia needed her, as it had come to always do.  


"Plans for reconstruction are in motion. Mint and Gust sat up almost all night with them. We need to rebuild the school and the Central Plaza gate. You know, how they both got destroyed yesterday? And—"  


"What do you need?" She wasn't being curt, he decided, just too tired to process small talk. That's fine, a fight like yesterday's would take everything out of you. Albert smiled, hoping he wasn't wearing her out.  


"Well, which project would you prefer? I can give Higgins the other—"  


"What do you need?" The third time seemed worse. Albert nodded. Lorelei was, if nothing else understandable, a serious and reliable worker. Her ethic was unparalleled in Portia. Perhaps so in all of the Free Cities.  


He handed her the list of materials that he, Gust, and Mint had come up with. She nodded as she read it, then gestured for him to follow her. He stepped through the gate—not something he often did—and joined her at her factory building. She began bringing out materials, stacking them neatly.  


"You already had all this stuff?" Albert asked, not exactly surprised but quite impressed.  


"I'd rather have materials on hand than have to wait for things to finish smelting or cutting or grinding."  


Lorelei handed the list back to Albert, and nodded at the stacks of materials. Albert thanked her, and she watched him leave her workyard. It would take him several trips to get all the materials—he hadn't planned for her to be so prepared—but he could handle it. She quickly checked her mail, to find nothing that needed her immediate attention, then emptied into the resource box some of the strange resources that had made it into her pockets yesterday.  


She wouldn't be working today.  


She couldn't.  


Passing by Ack, on his way to visit Lara, and passing by Emily, on her way to meet Sonia at the Round Table, and passing by Gust and Ginger, on their way to enjoy the somewhat gloomy day, Lorelei made no small talk.  


She couldn't.  


Aadit was gone.  


Once they'd gotten married, he'd always been downstairs to greet her on her way into the workyard. He'd gotten in the habit of making her a Bamboo Papaya with Egg-On-Top and giving her a kiss. He'd hang out with Pinky until he reported to the Tree Farm for work.  


But he was gone.  


His note to her—though crushing—was not the worst part to her. It was not the clearly hasty way in which he'd left; his clothes were only partially packed and the bed was made as though he'd never got in it last night. It was not the confused meows coming from the kitchen when Lorelei woke up by herself.  


It was his eyes. The memory of his eyes.  


Which she was certain she had recognized behind the Rogue Knight's goggles. Just before he had thrown her across the plaza. Just before he got bested by Django. She had seen his eyes.  


And she knew Aadit's eyes.  


Lorelei's lip quivered. She sat on the edge of the dock. Portia Harbor, though often busy, was quiet today. In the gloom, there was no one. And Lorelei needed no one today.  


She dangled her feet above the water. She tried to make it make sense.  


Because Aadit would never fight anyone. He couldn't be the Rogue Knight.  


But she knew his eyes.  


Lorelei leaned her head on the post beside which she sat.  


She was sitting with her head leaned against the dock post when Dawa had seen her from Wuwa's porch. As the eldest Hulu brother, he liked to check on each of his brothers individually, visiting them each at least once a month. It had been a long day at the Tree Farm, what with all the chaos from yesterday and Aadit missing.  


Or rather, Aadit gone.  


Dawa, after visiting with Wuwa for as long as he could stand, debated on the porch whether to go check on Lorelei. She wasn't blood related, but he felt a sort of closeness to her. She was Aadit's wife.  


Or rather, she had been.  


Well aware of the package he had in his backpack, Dawa settled on his decision, and, keeping an eye on the storm clouds rolling in over the Western Sea, trotted over to Lorelei.  


He sat on the dock beside her.  


Her eyes flickered to him, the only acknowledgement that she knew he was there.  


For several minutes, he let them sit in silence.  


"Aadit didn't come into work today." It wasn't the greatest icebreaker.  


For several minutes, she didn't respond.  


"He's gone." Lorelei's voice was tired. A well-deserved tired, after the fight she had yesterday. And the turmoil she was feeling today. Just barely, in the cloudy evening light, Dawa thought he saw more than a few injuries. He made a mental note; he'd check on her again tomorrow, maybe try to get her to see Dr Xu.  


"Yeah." It was a lame response, but he wasn't quite sure what else to say. He thought of the package he had in his backpack. "Um."  


Lorelei turned to him, offering her full—tired—attention.  


"I found this on the ground by one of the trees. It's got your name on it." A small, soft package wrapped in red paper and tied in gold string. Aadit's handwriting on the tag. "Obviously, I didn't open it. I was gonna stick it in your mailbox on my way back up, because I had forgot to do it on my way down earlier." He set it beside Lorelei. She looked at it, and although he couldn't see the exact face she made about it, he knew that suddenly this was a very different conversation.  


"Lorelei, can I say something?" He didn't wait for her to respond. "Aadit loved you. I never knew him to be happier than when he was with you. Talking about you. Thinking about you. When the two of you were just dating, he told me you were a happiness that he'd only ever dreamed about. You were—are—the best thing that ever happened to him."  


Lorelei brought her hand to her face, and Dawa realized she was brushing away silent tears. That's not what he meant to happen.  


"Listen, I'm sorry," he said, "I don't know where he's gone to, or why. But I do know that he's hating every moment away from you."  


It was starting to drizzle.  


A drizzle that was going to turn into the storm over the Western Sea.  


And Lorelei was crying.  


Dawa patted her shoulder, hoping he wasn't making her uncomfortable on top of everything else. "If I can do anything for you, you just let me know. After all you've done for Portia, for the Tree Farm, for Aadit, if there's anything you need, I'll make sure it gets taken care of." He stood then. He couldn't imagine she'd possibly want much company. He could imagine that perhaps she wanted to be alone to open Aadit's present. He looked out over the Western Sea.  


The storm rolled ever closer.  


He had to give her time to head home. He turned to leave.  


"Thank you." Her voice, again, was tired and so quiet. But he heard it. He smiled, as though she could see it, and headed towards the Dee-Dee stop.  


But as he rode back up towards Portia, Dawa tapped the Dee-Dee driver on the shoulder.  


"Actually," he said, "let me off at the Peach Plaza stop, please." The driver nodded, and when they got there, Dawa hopped out. He saw just who he wanted to see.  


"Remington!" The green-haired man stopped when he heard his name. He waved at Dawa.  


"What can I do for ya?" Remington asked, slowing his horse to stand beside Dawa. He was finishing his evening patrol.  


"Lorelei was sitting down at the docks when I was down there a little while ago. I don't know if she's come back yet—"  


A crash of thunder and a flash of lightning.  


"—but there's a storm moving in. I was wondering if someone from the Civil Corps should go check on her. She was…uh, crying…when I left."  


"Alright, we'll make sure she gets in safe. Thanks, Dawa." Remington turned his horse and headed up to the Civil Corps building. Lorelei, being a hardworking young builder, often stayed out late in inclement weather. But if Dawa was worried about her, maybe they should be too. He wanted to ask what Arlo thought.  


Luckily, Arlo and Sam had both already finished their patrols. They were lounging on the couch, talking about yesterday's battle with the Rogue Knight.  


What a battle it had been.  


They had much to learn.  


"Hey," Remington said, kicking off his muddy boots, "Dawa stopped me on my way back. Said that Lorelei was down at the dock. Said she was upset. Asked us to make sure she was alright."  


"Upset?" Arlo leaned forward, eyebrows furrowing. Although he'd refused to admit it to Remington and Sam, he had a special fondness for Lorelei unlike he'd ever had for anyone before. No matter how much they teased him for it, he jumped at the opportunity to see her. The histrionic antics he got up to sometimes—such as kicking open the Commerce Guild's doors—were the result of his dramatic ass seeing someone he wanted the attention of.  


But now, Lorelei was also one of his closest friends. He never knew her to just sit somewhere and wait for time to pass. Especially when she could just go to bed and rest up for the next day.  


"Said she was crying," Remington said, draping his jacket over one of the armchairs and sitting in the other, "And with the storm coming in, he was worried."  


"I'll go check on her." Arlo stood, zipping his jacket back up. It was already past midnight. Although they hadn't meant to, the Civil Corps had gotten a bit of a late start on their patrols. Yesterday's battle had done a number on each of them, and they'd had to deal with the Sky Shark goons, who'd been moved to a more secure cell in the Research Center. Why the Research Center had such an incredibly secure holding cell, Arlo hadn't been able to figure out. But Merlin was intent on berating them with questions, and she'd been willing to watch them through the night. The Civil Corps, after thoroughly questioning the goons themselves, allowed the absurd request. It had been a long day.  


Outside, as the rain began to pour somewhat harder than just a light dusting, Arlo debated taking his horse. On one hand, it would be faster. On the other, it could be more dangerous to ride through the storm. He decided to leg it, taking off at a run and sliding down the ramp into Peach Plaza.  


He was in better shape than he thought yesterday.  


Once down at the docks, he could barely see through the rain. The storm must've come from the Western Sea. He hoped Lorelei wasn't down here.  


But Pinky, who came and went as she pleased, had been sitting on the porch of Lorelei's house. As if waiting for someone to get home. Arlo had wondered why Aadit hadn't taken the cat inside, but chose not to dwell on it. Pinky loved Lorelei in a cattish way.  


Lorelei was passed out.  


At the far end of the dock and tightly clutching a teddy-bear.  


It must've been nearly 3:00 in the morning.  


Arlo picked her up, carefully as he could, and began the long trek back to Portia.


	2. A Worry and A Banter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Civil Corps take Lorelei in for the night and discuss some very important business.

It was very late when Arlo burst through the Civil Corps' door, sopping wet and carrying Lorelei. Remington and Sam, who, after he hadn't quickly returned, resigned themselves to waiting up on the couch for him, stood in surprise. 

"What's wrong with her?" Remington asked. 

"Surely it would've been faster to take her to her house," Sam said, "Did you just carry her all the way back from the dock?" 

Arlo—again as carefully as he could—deposited Lorelei on the couch. She didn't stir at all. She hadn't stirred the whole time he'd carried her. He wondered for a moment why the Flying Pigs kept rejecting him. The teddy-bear, just as wet as he and Lorelei, schlopped to the floor. Remington picked it up. 

"Hey, this kinda looks like Aadit." He paused. "Well, except for the goggles." 

"Aadit wasn't home. There was a note on their bed from him—" Arlo stripped out of his boots, jacket, and shirt as he spoke. "—and I couldn't just leave her there. Sam, grab some towels. Let's see how dry we can get her." 

Not very dry, it seemed. They took off her bandana and jacket, but her pants and shirt were just soaked. The three stood together for a moment, then Arlo shook his head. 

"It's not right to change her while she's asleep. Wrap her up good in the dry towels, then let's lay a blanket over her. We'll have Phyllis and Xu look at her first thing in the morning." Arlo looked at the clock on the wall. "Er, in a few hours." 

While doing as he instructed from his weary spot on the chair, Sam queried him. 

"What did the note say? The one Aadit left for her." 

"It was a private note, Sam." 

"Yeah, and you read it. What did it say?" 

Arlo paused. Although a suddenly disappeared person was the Civil Corps' business, it wasn't their business until someone asked them to make it so. Lorelei hadn't come to them with the worry. She'd carried that worry herself. 

"Arlo?" Remington and Sam looked at him expectantly. 

"He said, for reasons he couldn't explain, that he had to leave." That was enough. The rest of the letter was for Lorelei. The two other Corps members exchanged looks. 

"That's a little suspicious of him," said Sam. 

"I don't recall seeing him at the battle yesterday, either," said Remington. 

"Why would he have been?" Arlo asked, not in the mood to put up with whatever conspiracy his friends were about to put forth. "He doesn't spar, you both know that. He hates fighting." 

"Django was saying today—" Remington sat in the other armchair, swinging his legs up over the arm of it. "—that he's got a little feeling that Aadit is the Rogue Knight." 

Mhm. Definitely not in the mood. Especially with Lorelei asleep—unconscious?—right next to them. 

"Don't even start that," Arlo said, "Don't go spreading rumors. Until we investigate that, which I hate to do not only because it's unbelievable but because it's impossible, there's no reason to get everyone worked up over nothing. Aadit was a fine citizen of Portia." 

"Interesting," Sam said from her perch on the arm of the couch, "that you'd defend your rival so quickly." 

"Don't call him my rival." 

"Aadit claimed to dislike fighting, but since we never saw him fight, he could've been really good. Could've been knight-level good." 

"And he wasn't at the battle. Even sweet old Sophie came to see what the ruckus in the plaza was about. Luckily Isaac was there to pull her and the children away." 

"Knock it off, you two." 

"And he and the Rogue Knight were about the same height. Probably the same build, under all that knight armor." 

"And the goggles on that bear sure do look similar to the goggles the knight was wearing." 

"I said, knock it off," Arlo snapped. Perhaps he needed at least a bit of sleep. "Right now, the fact is that Aadit left, apparently without saying a proper goodbye, and Lorelei is clearly torn up about it. As much as Aadit's disappearance is important and should be investigated some, the current status of Portia's finest builder is more important to me." 

"She's just our finest builder?" Sam grinned. "Funny, just last week you were calling her one of our best fighters…" 

"Our hardest worker…" 

"Our most well-composed citizen…" 

"Our—" 

"I'm not gonna tell you to knock it off three times in one night." Arlo stood and stretched. "I'm going to try and get a little bit of sleep. At least one of you should stay out here with her, but you should also get some sleep. All three of us are probably going to need some rest over the next few days." 

And as Arlo walked to his room, dripping water with each footstep, Sam turned to Remington. 

"Go ahead to bed as well," she said, "And I'll stay out here with Lorelei. That way if she wakes up and wants to change, she can borrow some of my clothes. I doubt yours will fit her." 

Remington chuckled, but did as told. 

Sam wasn't really tired anyway. She'd dozed while Arlo was gone, not nearly as worried as him. Lorelei was strong, resilient. The two pals had made it through many a misfortunate adventure together. Despite the small injuries that bedecked the builder at present, Sam was sure that she was already recuperated from yesterday's battle. 

If Lorelei was unwell, it was because of Aadit. 

That was a topic which, unfortunately, Sam had no experience in. 

She'd tried, no doubt, to get close with Phyllis in the way that Lorelei had gotten close with Aadit. But she just couldn't. Her personality wasn't exactly flirtatious or romantic, and Phyllis wasn't really perusing the market. The budding doctor wanted little to do with romance, and a lot to do with chasing her dream. Sam had resigned herself to supporting that dream, but, secretly and to no one but herself, she hoped to be the new dream once the clinical dream was achieved. 

But luckily, none of Sam's own personal romantic mishaps had stopped her from teasing Arlo every chance she got. 

He was just so obviously in love with Lorelei. He would never admit it, perhaps due to his pride, and no one else seemed to call him out on it. But, Sam wondered, if Aadit was seriously gone, then it meant that Lorelei might not be married anymore. Not to make light of what was an unfortunate situation, but it was one of Sam's best skills. While totally respecting Lorelei and her boundaries, Arlo was in a prime position to make some incredibly tactile moves. Sam picked up the teddy-bear. It was a sweet gesture, though it was also currently sopping wet. She placed it in front of the fan by Arlo's desk. Hopefully it dried without mildewing. If anything was going to break Lorelei's spirit, it might be mildew. 

The clock ticked, for just a moment, louder than it had before. 

Lorelei still didn't stir. 

Sam settled into the end of the couch, draping her legs over Lorelei's and hoping that a slight human touch would comfort the builder. 

There was still a few more hours until Phyllis and Dr Xu would be awake.


	3. Mint Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mint reflects a little on his relationship with Portia.

Under normal circumstances, Lorelei might've appreciated the impromptu sleepover. Waking up to Sam lightly snoring from the other end of the Civil Corps's couch was not necessarily her least favorite way to wake up, but it certainly wasn't what she expected. Early, early morning light filtered in through the windows, cloaking the Civil Corps common room in a gray haze. It was almost serene, if not for the heavy fog that cloaked Lorelei's conscious. 

Also, she was rather damp. 

Without disturbing Sam, she untangled herself from the blankets and towels on the couch and got to her feet. She was shakier than she cared to admit. But in the early, early morning gray, she found her shoes and bandana and jacket. She found Aadit's present sitting in front of the fan. She situated her belongings about her person, took a deep breath, and left. 

It was an unfortunately chilly morning to be rather damp. 

Portia had not yet awoken. There was no chatter, no laughter coming from the plaza. No plodding footsteps of the Civil Corps' horses. No builders' machines gearing up for the day's work. 

Lorelei inhaled as deeply as she could. 

She didn't know how to feel. 

There was dread. Fear for Aadit's wellbeing. Indignation at being abandoned. Uncertain confusion. Was he still her husband? Did he really expect their paths to cross again? Or did he leave her completely? 

For a moment, standing at the top of the stairs descending into Central Plaza, Lorelei felt betrayed. He had promised to love her. And yet he, too, had left. Just like her mother. Her father. Everyone. 

And as the sun rose a little higher in the sky, there was a glint. 

A glint in Central Plaza. 

Lorelei squinted. And strode down the stairs. 

If anyone had been awake to see her, if anyone had been in the plaza, they would have cleared out. The glint in the plaza mirrored the glint in her eyes. She seemed to be striding on a pathway of invisible energy. If exhaustion had ever plagued her, it didn't any longer. 

In a single, focused move, Lorelei unsheathed the Rogue Knight's sword from the plaza ground and attached it to the sword-quiver on her back. 

Invigorated with an unfamiliar energy—something uncontrollable—she stopped by her workshop, gathered her tools, checked on her machines, and then pointed herself in the direction of the Somber Marsh. 

There were ruins to be explored. And work to be done. 

*** 

Aadit was gone. The news whispered its way through Portia that morning, and before noon, the rumors were being traded from shop to shop, commission to commission. Dawa spent the morning in town, trying to dissuade the crazier notions, but when he finally had to return to the tree farm, he'd been mostly unsuccessful. Every citizen weighed in on whether Aadit had been the Rogue Knight. 

The Civil Corps were investigating, though they had each seemed uneasy when they left the building. 

The kids, on top of not being in school due to its demolition by the Rogue Knight, were hyped up on the excitement from the battle. They were recreating it in the plaza with practice swords from Django. Their joyful, heroic shouts fueled the adults' gossip. 

Mint was overseeing the beginning steps of reconstruction. With Lorelei's quick provisions, they were already ahead of schedule. He dodged Dolly's charge at Toby, scanning Main Street and then the plaza and then the sidestreets and then out by the river. 

He hadn't seen Lorelei since the battle. 

Of course, it had only been a day. And he hated to seem clingy. But it wasn't like her to be completely absent from big projects like this. She usually checked in on the progress. Usually checked in on him. 

She was the best friend he'd ever had. 

And so he noticed when she wasn't around. 

"Hello, Mint!" Mayor Gale waved from the bakery. Mint waved back, quick to navigate over amidst the construction workers and children. 

"Hello, Mr Gale, how are you?" 

"I'm just fine! I was wondering how the reconstruction is going. I know you all just got started, but I'm brainstorming ideas on how to make the battle a clear part of Portia history. Now, I don't want to glamorize the Rogue Knight, but I think a nice memorial of the event—and how our city banded together—would be an uplifting gesture. What do you think?" 

"Sounds great, Mr Gale. We'll need some materials, of course, but plans can be easily drawn up. Reconstruction is on schedule, going swimmingly." 

"Excellent! I was thinking of commissioning Lorelei. She was quite courageous at the battle, and she was so involved with the whole All Source discovery. We could extend her a personal commission. Do you think she'd be up for it?" 

"I like that idea a lot." Mint could feel a slight blush on his cheeks. Although he hoped Mayor Gale didn't notice, it was probably quite obvious. "I can go ask her, if you want. Ask if she's interested, I mean." 

Mayor Gale's eyes twinkled, and his cheerful laugh affirmed the blush. "Please do, my boy!" He patted Mint's shoulder, then turned to greet Martha. 

The engineer made his way up Main Street, trying not to seem urgent but too excited to walk. Although memorials were somewhat outside of his career field, he liked the idea. He knew Lorelei would support the idea. Portia was such a grand city, and its history was being written right in front of them. He loved it. He hated to think about what he was going to do when the projects ran out. 

He caught his breath at Lorelei's mailbox. His heart was racing. 

But she wasn't in her workyard. 

He knocked on the front door. No response. He called her name. No response. She wasn't in the factory building. He couldn't see her in the fields along the city wall. He couldn't see her by the river, or the bridge, or the beach. 

Lorelei wasn't nearby at all. 

Well, that wasn't out of the ordinary. She was often busy, often in the desert or the wasteland or elsewhere. To be a successful builder, she had to go and gather the resources. That's alright, Mint reminded himself. She was allowed to go wherever she wanted. 

He dug a blank piece of paper out of his workbag, and scribbled down a quick note proposing the idea to Lorelei and asking her to come see him when she got the chance. He folded it neatly and went to put it in her mailbox. 

But the mailbox was packed with letters. Little notes from other citizens. Commission requests and small gifts. 

It wasn't like Lorelei to not check her mail. She usually kept it quite organized. 

Mint wedged his note on top of the others. 

Then, again reminding himself not to be so anxious, he walked back to the Mayor's office. They could discuss some more details, then he could meet with whoever he needed to. No reason to wait on Lorelei. She would be more than willing to help, once she knew what it was for. 

Gust was waiting outside town hall. The smirk on his face made Mint nervous. Although the two had learned to get along better—biweekly dinners with just the two of them and also with the mayor's family certainly helped that—Gust still found ways to jab at Mint every now and then. 

A brotherly teasing, Ginger called it. 

"Hello, Mint," Gust said, "Father mentioned a memorial project to me. Said you were going to get Lorelei on board." 

"Yes." Mint ran his fingers through his hair, trying to seem nonchalant. He wasn’t in the mood for Gust's teasing. He had other things on his mind. "I was just coming up to see if he wanted to iron out more details." 

"Mm, he's talking with the Research Center and Minister Lee right now. But you and I can begin discussing it." Gust led him into Mayor Gale's office. Already a few basic sketches and notes were strewn about the desk. "How is Lorelei doing? The battle with the Rogue Knight must've done a number on her. She was right in the middle of it." 

"She wasn't home." 

"Oh?" 

"I left a note for her. Told her to come see me when she got the chance." 

"You know…" Gust reclined in his father's desk chair. "If Aadit is officially gone, Lorelei has legal right to end their marriage. Depending on the circumstances, his leaving might've even been enough to divorce them already." 

"Gust, please—" 

"And who better to take his place than me?" 

"That's not funny—" 

"Ha! Imagine it. Lorelei and I holding hands, going on walks, taking naps together. Wouldn't it be splendid?" 

"I really don't—" 

"Oh wait." Gust paused. "You. You and Lorelei. Imagine you and Lorelei holding hands and—" 

"Gust!" Mint didn't often raise his voice. "Now is not the time. Her husband just left her. She's probably at least a little heartbroken." 

"Oh, I'm sure you could go mend it. Her heart." 

"No, I—" 

"I'm just saying!" Gust threw his hands up, as if to dismiss the subject. But then he smiled a genuine smile. "I really do think you and Lorelei would be sweet together. And I don't really believe in second chances, but that does sort of seem to be what this is. You missed your chance the first time, Mint. Consider taking this one." 

It was Gust's weird form of advice. Brotherly advice. 

Mint tried to relax. 

As much as he had never said it out loud, he had a bit of a crush on the builder. But, he had reasoned, who wouldn’t? Lorelei was everything wonderful. All that and a bag of chips, Mint had once read in a book. 

Gust had been the first person to figure it out. And hadn't let it go. Some days, he seemed intent on teasing Mint about it, and some days, he seemed intent on playing matchmaker. It had been a strange day at the mayor's house, the day that Lorelei and Aadit were married. 

Mint decided not to dwell on the potential of Gust's tease. If Lorelei was legally no longer married, and if she wanted to start dating again, perhaps he would try and make a move. But he couldn't cross that line until he knew she wouldn't hate him for it. 

Because she was his best friend. And he didn't have another one of those. 

He gave Gust a long, settled look, then leaned over some of the sketches on the mayor's desk. They needed to figure out the perfect Final Battle memorial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright yall imma try and keep this baby up-to-date as much as I can while the story is still fresh in my mind; but also I just bought a Switch (I've never felt luckier) so you can imagine how my time is being used up. Once I get past these first few chapters of establishment, hopefully we'll get rolling.


	4. The Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lorelei, in escaping thoughts about Aadit, has come up with a fine idea.

Lorelei was beginning to be impressed with how much she could carry. If she left in the morning, before Portia was awake, and stayed out until she could no longer go without sleep, her bag grew quite heavy. Ores, woods, gems, stones, relics, various mob drops. It all fit. Dried apple slices and the myriad of soups she had acquired over the seasons kept her energized throughout the long days. She was impressed with herself. 

At first, she could not think. She could not feel. All she could do was swing her tools. It was all she wanted to do. Anything—the movement of the swing, the calculations of the materials she gathered, the planning her next target—that occupied her mind and her body. She refused to think of Aadit. She couldn't dwell, wouldn't let herself dwell. 

She had to keep moving. 

It wasn't until the latter half of the week—after she'd stood at the top of Bassanio Falls and stared out over city—that she began to formulate a focus: a glider like the one Ursula had used to escape. 

She'd never designed anything on her own before. She'd always had to follow the designs of Petra, or Gust, or Albert, or Mint, or Ack, or anyone but herself. She'd never thought about designing something, but now that she'd settled her mind on it, she was motivated by that goal alone. She was no longer just collecting materials. She was collecting materials for her. 

The design itself—the shapes and angles and measurements—was still only partially complete. Truthfully, she had no idea how to use those things to her advantage. She'd only ever followed design instructions before. 

But she'd built many things. And this would eventually have to be built. 

Yesterday, she'd taken her handbook and the worktable workbook, and sat on the rocks above the Eufala Tunnel. It was just a far-away enough location from Portia, just far-away enough to keep her head clear. She perused all the notes and blueprints she had. 

A glider needed to glide. It needed to be lightweight yet sturdy. It had to be somewhat steerable. It didn't need power, if utilized from a high enough spot, but it had the potential to take power. And if it took power, that potential could mean being able to jump from ground high and be taken into the air before gliding elsewhere. Or maybe it could mean something else. Lorelei didn't quite know. She was still working on it. 

And today, the fifth day after waking up without Aadit beside her, she was going to finish collecting the materials she thought she needed. And tomorrow, she would stay in the workshop and make the first prototype. 

She set down her pickaxe for a moment, brushing her hair out of her face. Mining, though rewarding, was a hungry activity. She munched a handful of dried apple slices and perused the ores in her bag. She wasn't quite sure what to make the glider out of. Perhaps aluminum, for it was lightweight and she was familiar with it. But she was intrigued by the titanium. She'd never used it before. She wanted an excuse to try it out. 

Perhaps tomorrow would produce two prototypes. One in each metal. 

Or perhaps it would take longer than tomorrow. 

Lorelei didn't know. She didn't have an exact design or blueprint or recipe. She just had the idea. 

But that was enough. She didn't need it to be perfect the first time. She didn't need it to be successful the first time. Or the second time. Maybe on the third she wanted to have made some progress. But all she really needed was something to occupy her mind. To keep her distracted. Although she hated to admit that it was just that. 

A distraction. 

At some point, she would have to confront herself: Aadit was gone. Her husband was gone. 

She'd already taken off her wedding ring, strung it on a bit of rope, and tied it on the teddy-bear's neck. Then set the teddy-bear in the corner of their bedroom. Or, the room that used to be their bedroom. It was off to the side of the main room. She'd left it perfectly in-tact, taken out her dresser and her pillow—which she was very fond of—and blocked it away with room dividers. 

She'd repurposed the back room into her new bedroom. Somewhere where she could breathe. Somewhere where she could think. About anything but Aadit. 

She swung a little too hard at the titanium ore, and lost her balance. She slipped onto the stone ground. 

And out loud, she cursed, "Ah, fuck. Ow. Damn it, that hurt." 

It was the only thing she'd said in several days. Her voice was tired. She cleared her throat—while tentatively standing back up—and tried again. 

"Fuck! Damn it!" Only a little better. 

She hesitantly took a step, and immediately backed off it, and tried to immediately back off that, and fell again. 

She'd twisted her good ankle. Her bad, left ankle—well, it was her calf, rather—had been scraped up the inside of. She'd kept it as clean as she could, but it wasn't healing well with the work she'd been doing. It also seemed to be bruised, but she couldn't really tell. It was weak, and she'd been limping on it since the battle. 

It wasn't her only physical injury from the battle. Her lip had been busted open, which was healing alright if not rather stiff and sore. Her left cheek had been bruised, though she wasn't quite sure from what. A fist, probably. It had recovered fine as well. Her hands, arms, and torso had been cut in various places. She'd bandaged those and they were all beginning to scab over. The upper portion of her right leg had ached the first day, but she thought she'd just hit it hard during the battle. Since that first day, it had been fine. Good, even. Her good leg. 

And now she'd twisted it. 

"I didn't mean to do that," she said out loud again, trying to get her voice to sound normal, "But now that I've done it, there's not much I can do about it." 

She sat down on the ground, laying her pickaxe beside her, and dug through her bag. She didn't think she had any healing items—medicine or bandages or otherwise—with her, but she thought it best to check. 

Nothing. Just materials, dried apple slices, and one more bowl of Golden Radish Soup. 

She decided to sit some more and think. The first thought was to sip on the Golden Radish Soup, which she did. Slowly, she could feel her energy rising. Because she sipped it slowly. She tried to think slowly as well. 

She thought of Mint. Mostly because the soup reminded her of him. It was one of his favorites. She had meant to give it to him and forgot, having found all the pieces to the Sphere Trophy relic and decided it made a better gift. She hadn't seen him since before the battle. He was one of her best friends, and she missed him. 

But she hadn't been in Portia since the battle either. 

She'd taken no commissions. Not responded to her mail. Not even checked the mail after the first day. She'd given no gifts, not talked to anyone. She'd not sold or bought anything. She couldn't. 

She didn't want to hear any of them talk about Aadit. 

She knew they would. Portians love to gossip, and the battle—the Rogue Knight—had produced a lot of that. She knew they were talking about Aadit. She'd overheard Arlo and Remington discussing him, when they were in the Abandoned Ruins behind the Civil Corps' building. She'd been in there, aimlessly mining, when they'd come in, and she'd froze. She hid in silence, just on the other side of the elevator. She listened while they'd talked, and then when they'd left, she'd continued mining. Refusing to think about Aadit. 

She thought of Arlo. She missed him as well. He was another of her best friends. His histrionics—though he would never admit to having them—always brightened up her day. Even when she thought her day couldn't get any brighter. And she had come to the conclusion that he was the one who'd taken her to the Civil Corps' building that night of the storm. 

Remington or Sam would've left her at her house. 

But Arlo must've seen the letter from Aadit—it had been placed back on the bed after she'd dropped it on the floor—and decided he couldn't leave her. 

She smiled for just a moment. It was a kind gesture, even though she hadn't been so appreciative of it the morning after. 

"Welp," she said, pushing herself to her feet, "It's a long walk back to the house." 

She checked her watch. "And the Dee-Dee has stopped for the night. Damn it." 

Each step hurt. Either it ached up her calf, or it shot from her ankle. 

Lorelei took a deep breath. It would be a very long walk back to the house, indeed.


	5. The Second Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Dawa brings Lorelei to the clinic, Arlo tries not to dwell on the severity of the situation.

For the second time in the same week, Dawa felt himself grow increasingly worried about Lorelei. Since the big storm at the beginning of the week, no one had seen her. Her mailbox was full, her resource box was full. Mint—the young engineer from Vega 5—had taken it upon himself to at least move the resources inside the workyard. And while Aadit's disappearance had been the talk of the town, when Lorelei didn't pick up a commission two days in a row, that talk had shifted.  


It was clear that she wasn't gone. She hadn't left like Aadit. Or, so said the Civil Corps. They had spent all week trying to keep the gossip to a minimum. It hadn't really worked; Dawa's worry had grown after hearing his brothers talk about what the other folks were theorizing. That she had gone to find Aadit. That she had been kidnapped from her bed. That she had been targeted and ambushed by Duvos spies. Every theory was more ridiculous than the one previous, but it was the lack of answers that worried Dawa.  


As the only two people who'd been close to Aadit, he and Lorelei had something of a distantly connected relationship. He cared about her the way one cares about one's best friend's wife.  


And to find her, collapsed, at the back of the Tree Farm. That was worrying.  


For the second time in one week, Dawa was looking for someone from the Civil Corps.  


It was almost 7:00, and few Portians were yet awake. Dawa had—carefully, for the young builder looked worse for the wear—picked her up and carried her through the back entrance of the Tree Farm to the Civil Corps building. There was a small desperation in him to get her to safety before anyone saw her.  


No need to feed the theories.  


He kicked on the door to the Civil Corps building.  


"Who in the—" Sam froze once she'd opened the door. Then she held the door open for Dawa and turned her voice inside.  


"Arlo! You better get out here." She pushed a bunch of pillows off the couch. "Set her here. I'm going to go get Phyllis to open the clinic, and Dr. Xu." She ran out, the door banging closed behind her.  


Arlo walked out of his room, not quite fully awake and pulling on his shirt. But his eyes widened when he saw Lorelei.  


"What's going on?" Remington came out of his room to the balcony at the top of the stairs.  


"I found her like this on the ground. It seemed as though she'd come across the bridge from the marsh. She wasn't there when I did my rounds last night, but that was around 20:00." Dawa stepped back to let Arlo look at her. The captain seemed…concerned. He brushed some of the dirt and dew off Lorelei's face.  


"She must've been in the ruins there," Remington said, "Was there anything else around her?"  


"Not that I noticed. I left her backpack on the ground; it's heavy. I'll drop it off at her workshop later. But that was the only thing."  


"Leave it be. The Civil Corps wil go investigate, if you don't mind. And we'll check in the ruins. Make sure there's nothing that we're not seeing here." Remington nudged Arlo. "We'd best get her to the clinic."  


And without waiting, Remington picked Lorelei up. The captain seemed to be in shock. Dawa pretended not to notice and went to open the door. Remington nodded at him. Arlo was quick to follow. Phyllis was unlocking the clinic, and Sam and Dr. Xu were running up the hill. Dawa decided that it was best not to crowd. He waved at everyone, then began to head back towards the Tree Farm.  


Portia was beginning to wake up; Sam must not have been very quiet. Dawa hoped that everyone kept their mouths shut. For whatever reason Lorelei had that she worked until she collapsed, it was her business. She didn't need an added stress. She didn't need Portia talking about her.  


Dawa didn't know what she needed. But, as he walked past her backpack, scanning the ground for anything peculiar, he knew it wasn't something Portia could provide.  


***  


It wasn't hardly forty minutes later when Remington tugged Arlo out of the clinic, and he took the first full breath he'd had since seeing Lorelei on the couch. 

Suddenly, he couldn't hold the air in his lungs. Remington almost laughed at him.  


"Don't you pass out on me now, too. We need to give them space to work in there. She's in good care."  
Arlo nodded, but he didn't want to agree.  


He wanted to stay beside the hospital bed. Wanted to watch over her.  


She looked horrible.  


"C'mon, we'd best go investigate the Tree Farm." Remington tried to guide Arlo away.  


Arlo shook his head. "I should stay with her."  


"Why? Sam's in there." As Phyllis's best friend, Sam could assist in simple medical tasks.  


Arlo didn't have an answer. He felt too much: he was afraid for her wellbeing, he wanted to comfort her, he wanted her to feel taken care of. Selfish. Guilty. He—they—the Civil Corps should've done something. Should've forced her to stay in town, disguised it as questioning about Aadit. Should've made sure she was alright.  


The morning after the storm, when she'd clearly gotten up and left on her own, they decided not to bother her too much. Remington had been the first to say it out loud: she probably wanted to be alone, after being left by her ex-husband. She had to work through that on her own.  


And work she had, apparently.  


"I think she's exhausted her limits. I've never seen her so fatigued." Dr. Xu had said. "And these injuries must be from the battle, they're not new. However, she's not rested enough for them to heal."  


Remington tugged on Arlo's arm. "Come on, captain," he teased, "let's go check out the Tree Farm and the marsh. Hopefully there's nothing more to it than her own doing."  


They mounted their horses and began the descent to the city gate. Gale, just leaving his home, stopped them in the park.  


"Ah, just who I was looking for! Arlo—" The mayor chuckled as though he wasn't about to bring up what seemed like a serious topic. "—have you seen Lorelei at all?"  


A very serious topic indeed.  


"Go on, Rem, I'll meet you there," Arlo said, dismounting Spacer and pulling Gale off to the side. "Dawa found her this morning. She'd collapsed coming back from the marsh. She's at the clinic right now; we're going to investigate and make sure there's nothing unusual that contributed to her poor condition."  


"Collapsed? Why?"  


"Dr. Xu thinks it's exhaustion. We're worried she's been working—like mining and lumbering—nonstop to cope with Aadit's leaving."  


"Oh, dear, this is not good at all. I had heard she wasn't seen in town this week, but sometimes she's just busy like that. I had no idea it was so serious."  


"Neither did we, Gale."  


"Well, I think I'll go check on her before she leaves the clinic. I have some ideas I want to talk to her about, but I want her to be in tip-top shape before starting anything. When does Dr. Xu plan on discharging her?"  


"I don't know. She was still unconscious when we left, and she's got several small injuries from the final battle. Even if she wakes up and feels better today, he may not discharge her for a few days."  


"That bad? Huh. Well, I'll still check on her in the clinic then. Thanks, Arlo."  


Arlo nodded, trying not to seem so grave to the situation. He waited until Gale finished crossing the park to Town Hall before remounting Spacer.  


To the Tree Farm. Hopefully to find nothing.  


He wasn't in the mood to deal with anything else. He just wanted to be there for Lorelei.


End file.
